Oh, now her throat was aching. “You love me?”
He smiled. “Fuck, yeah. I didn’t think it’d come as a surprise to you.”
She gently dragged her nails down the column of his throat, knowing he liked it. “It’s a good thing you feel that way, because it just so happens that I love you.”
His eyes warmed. “I know. I feel it. And it’s even more of a reason for you to move in with me today.”
“I said I would,” she reminded him.
“Yes, you said it. But I don’t see you packing. Or even looking particularly committed to the idea.”
“Would you feel better if I stood up and started jumping for joy?”
“Yeah, because then I could watch your tits bounce—that’s always fun.” He softly slapped her ass. “Come on, let’s get your stuff packed. I’ll have Luke and Farrell help transport your things to what will from today onwards be our house. We can christen at least two of the rooms tonight.”
“Oh, now that’s a plan I can get behind.”
As the furniture had come with the place and wasn’t hers to take, it really was a simple matter of tossing all her stuff into her suitcase and duffels. But even with help, it took longer than she’d expected. She’d just packed the last duffel when Bailey, Aspen, and Camden returned.
Sensing that Havana and Tate were fully bonded, they all congratulated them. They weren’t surprised to find that Havana was moving out. Bailey, of course, got all dramatic and cried that her and Havana no longer being roommates was an end to an era. But she stopped with a chuckle when Aspen lightly slapped her over the head.
Luke and Farrell arrived only minutes later. The Beta handed over three sets of keys to Tate.
“Keys to your new apartments,” said Tate, handing a set to first Aspen, then to Bailey, and then to Camden. “You’re living in the same building on the same floor.”
The tiger glared at Aspen. “I still say there’s no reason we couldn’t have remained roommates.”
“Color me surprised,” said Aspen, her voice dry.
“Once you’ve packed your things, my enforcers will help you move them,” Tate added.
“Cool.” Bailey smiled at Havana. “You’ll miss living with me. I know you will.”
“Actually, I will,” said Havana. “You might be mostly insane, but you’re endlessly entertaining.”
Grinning, the mamba elbowed Aspen. “You hear that? Endlessly entertaining.”
“She also called you insane,” the bearcat pointed out.
“Mostly insane.”
“Yeah, I left out the ‘mostly,’ because you and I both know you’re fucking certifiable.”
“It’s really not so bad.” Slumping her shoulders, Bailey put on a weepy, devastated face. “Can’t you just love me the way I am, Aspen? Can’t you just accept me, warts and—”
“Stop, stop.”
The mamba just chuckled.
Looking from one female to the other, Havana sighed. “I’m dreading what damage your animals will do to each other when I’m not around to intervene.”
“Don’t worry about us.” Bailey waved a hand at Havana. “Go shack up with your dude. It’s clear he’s eager to get gone from here.”
Tate put a hand on Havana’s back. “I am,” he confirmed. “Ready, babe?”
Havana nodded. “Ready.”
“Then let’s go.”
The next morning, Tate folded his arms as he stared down at the females lounging on his sofa watching TV. “Why are you here? Uninvited? Again?”
Aspen’s brow creased. “We’re Havana’s bodyguards, right? We can’t guard her if we’re not around.”
Bailey nodded. “That would be a struggle, even for us.”
“You only need to guard her when she’s out of the house,” Tate explained.
“Oh,” both females said, but neither moved.
“I’d ask how you got in here,” began Tate, “but you’ll only tell me you slipped in through an unlocked door or open window when I’d know that to be untrue. Do the enforcers guarding the house know you’re here?”
Aspen pursed her lips. “Not that I’m aware.”
Yeah, that was what he’d thought. His cats would be furious when they realized the two females had snuck inside undetected a second time.
“I really like the apartment you assigned me, by the way,” said Bailey. “It’s super swanky.”
“And yet, you’re not in it,” he pointed out.
“Your TV is better.”
“It is better,” Aspen agreed. And then both females went right back to watching it.
Tate sighed. He needed coffee. In the kitchen, he found that there was some in the pot. Well at least the females had the common courtesy to make coffee. Knowing his mate would appear any moment, he poured her a drink and set it on the table. He was just about to fix them both some breakfast when there was a knock at the front door.
Considering how fast news spread around his pride, he knew that all his pride mates would know by now that he was officially mated to Havana. Each member would likely turn up at some point to swear fealty to their new Alpha female. He hadn’t thought people would start pledging their loyalty to her this early in the morning.
Having placed his mug on the counter, Tate walked down the hallway and glanced through the door’s peephole. Ashlynn stood on his porch, her expression sober. He sighed, and his cat bared a fang. She could be here to swear fealty to Havana, sure—she’d have to if she wanted to stay part of the pride. But he’d thought he’d have to push her to do so or even offer her an ultimatum. He definitely hadn’t thought she’d be the first to show.
Distrusting her apparent eagerness, Tate blanked his expression as he opened the door. Her shoulders hunched, Ashlynn tried for a smile. The enforcers who guarded his house were leaning against the porch rails, ready to remove her from the property at Tate’s request. It seemed they didn’t trust her either.
Ashlynn raised her hands in a gesture of peace. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to ask you to have dinner with me or for us to talk. That ship has sailed, I know.”
“Do you?” Tate asked, skeptical.
She swallowed. “Yes.” Her eyes dropped to the claiming mark on his throat, and pain briefly flashed on her face. “It was clear you’d moved on before I even came home. I just hadn’t wanted to see it. You told me over and over that you didn’t want us to try again. I should have listened, should have heeded you. I didn’t. I just kept pushing, and then I got all bitchy when things didn’t go my way.” She licked her lips. “I didn’t behave fairly to you. For that, I’m sorry.”
Tate didn’t say “apology accepted” for the simple reason that he wasn’t yet certain that she meant it.
“I won’t lie and say I’m happy that you and Havana have mated—I’m not quite there yet. But I am glad that you’re happy. You deserve to be.”
“Okay,” he said, because there was a ring of truth in her voice. “But I don’t think you came here just to say that.”